hollywood billionaire

Chapter 184 Dream Bigger

There we go.

It turned out to be this plan.

Hearing Han Yi's pre-requirements for investing in slate deals, Dwayne Johnson nodded slightly, understanding.

In the remarks just now, the other party clarified three positions and attitudes.

First, no matter what the reason is, CEP-III, co-founded by Han Yi and Carlyle Group, should not accept the injection of external funds in a short time.If they do not accept their request and insist on introducing other financing institutions to provide funds, the subsequent cooperation may be quite difficult.

Second, although Dwayne Johnson's Seven Films united with Kevin Hart and Han Yi in the early stage of negotiations, and finally prompted Sony Pictures to open up the investment quota for "Jumanji", everyone knows it well It is clear that the reason why Dwayne Johnson did this was not to help Kevin Hart or Han Yi, but to enable himself to obtain more lucrative film contract conditions, a more pivotal status on the crew, and in every stage of the project. A stronger influence.

In other words, it is commonplace in Hollywood for one or more leading actors to negotiate with the producer together, and it is not a favor owed by anyone.

More importantly, in the slate deal reached by CEP-III and Sony Pictures, it is not only "Jumanji". The other four films, regardless of their quality or production progress, can be regarded as important projects within Columbia and Sony. project.

Han Yi is willing to open up the investment quota for projects other than "Game of the Brave", especially the investment quota for high-quality projects such as "Venom", so it is naturally impossible to keep an eye on it.

Designating Dwayne Johnson to choose CEP-III's own funds as a means of debt financing is one of the intentions.

Han Yi lends the total amount of investment, or a part of the investment amount to Dashi Johnson, and the latter puts it into the slate deal. In this way, no matter whether the specific project that Dashi Johnson chooses to invest in ends up making a profit or losing money, he needs to pay first interest on the use of funds.

For example, based on the current five-year CD-10K interest rate in the United States, during the entire process of investing in "Game of the Brave" and "Venom", Dwayne Johnson needs to pay 1.47% interest per year. The combined cash rate of return for the final settlement after the year is 1.5, so the rate of return for Dashi Johnson is not 50%, but 42.65% after deducting five-year interest.

There is no gift for no reason in the world, and Dashi Johnson, who climbed from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain, has a deep understanding of this.To be honest, if Han Yi didn't set up such a restrictive clause in the middle to cut off the profits, Dwayne might feel suspicious because the cooperation conditions are too good to be true.

And following this logical chain down, the third attitude that Han Yi wanted to express was about to come out.

The reason why he is willing to open up the investment quota for projects other than "Game of the Brave" to Dashi Johnson is not because Han Yi lacks money, nor is it because he wants to find a partner to share the risk.

Transferring part of the benefits to Dwayne Johnson is mainly to release goodwill and hope for more cooperation in the future.

"I have no problem here. Raising funds through CEP-III is much more convenient for Qikuai Pictures... We don't want to waste too much energy in the investment and financing process. You should understand that as a production company, we must do our part. What’s inside is what matters.”

Dwayne Johnson carefully considered his words.

"So, if we want to do debt financing through CEP-III, do we need to prepare any pledge?"

"Of course not." Although Dashi Johnson asked the question knowingly, Han Yi had to answer it openly, "The money is already in the account of the investment fund. If you need to use it, just sign the agreement. For me, the most The pledge of value is trust between each other... After all, in addition to "James of the Brave" and "Venom", I also hope that the three of us can have other close cooperation."

Han Yi turned his index finger back and forth between himself, Kevin Hart, and Dwayne Johnson, and smiled.

"Man comes with a plan." Kevin Hart, who has full social skills, interjected at the right time. When Han Yi was discussing the investment agreement with Dwayne Johnson, he was drinking silently by the side and looking at his mobile phone, as if he had nothing to do with it. own posture.It wasn't until Han Yi turned the topic to possible future cooperation that he started to sing along with the former again.

"You should listen to his plan - it gave me goosebumps when he told it to me earlier."

"Really?" Dwayne Johnson followed the steps laid by Kevin Hart, "Which plan?"

"Our good brother is in Lasville...can I reveal it now, Yi?" Halfway through speaking, Kevin Hart stopped talking mysteriously, looked at Han Yi, asked softly, and got enough Posture and tone.

"Please feel free." Han Yi responded by spreading his right hand in Kevin's direction.

"You know the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Rocky?"

"I've heard of it."

"Yi, I'm going to buy the Circus Casino Hotel and rebuild it on the original site. And, note, it's not an identical four-star dilapidated hotel, but a futuristic spaceship that truly belongs to the 21st century."

Kevin Hart, who worked in a sneaker store for a long time before becoming a comedian, is a natural gold medal salesman. His tone and words are extremely exaggerated. persuasive.

“Motel? Boom, now it’s Aman. Best value family suite in Las Vegas? Sorry guys, our Rosewood Executive Suite is at least $2500, or stay at the Hilton next door.”

"Wow." The grand plan Kevin Hart said and the two world-renowned luxury hotel brands made Dwayne Johnson a little stunned, "So...you bought the MGM land?"

"A pre-compliance process is in progress."

Jordan Bloom used the terminology to laugh—"pre-compliance process", which means that this matter is only on paper.

But Dwayne Johnson doesn't need to know that.

"Not only that, but on that 12.3 square feet of land, a series of world-class recreational facilities will be built."

Kevin Hart snapped his fingers and relayed to Dwayne Johnson the beautiful blueprint that Han Yi had drawn for him in the conference call.

"A hip-hop bar with Snoop Dogg as the face, a talk show club with content and events curated by Hartbeat, and...the largest outdoor electronic music nightclub in Las Vegas."

"I believe you should already know about the cooperation between Kevin and me, Dwyane. The reason why I invested in Hartbeat is not only to have a good friend in the film and television industry, but also to be able to have entertainment with him on the spot, especially It’s about making some changes in the field of live comedy.” Finding the right time, Han Yi opened his mouth to add, “I want the rebuilt Circus Casino Hotel to become the largest entertainment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, the West Coast, and even the world. body."

"The talk show club that Kevin manages is one of the components. In my opinion, the current live comedy environment in Las Vegas is actually very unfriendly to talk show actors. There are only two well-known comedy clubs, One is the Comedy Cellar at the Rio Hotel & Casino and the other is the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana Hotel. Both clubs are bistro-style setups and… let’s get straighter, the Rio Casino Hotel and the Tropicana The hotels are all four-star, which means that comedy shows don’t really make it into one of the mainstream forms of entertainment in Las Vegas.”

"In fact, comedians have a huge audience." Kevin Hart opened his arms and raised his voice very high, "Look at me, even I can play a stadium for ten thousand people!"

"Well... not everyone can perform in more than 100 different large stadiums. He is known as the most commercially valuable talk show actor after Steve Martin." Han Yi patted Kevin on the back and laughed softly Dao said, “In recent years, the audience and ticket market for live comedy have indeed increased. Like Kevin, at least [-] tickets can be sold in New York, and more and more comedians fill Madison Square Garden. Lots. Louie CK, Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan... these guys, don't they deserve a decent big stage in Las Vegas?"

"That's why, we hope that the talk show club that will be built soon can accommodate at least [-] seats or even more. In addition to hosting tours, Kevin and I both hope that our talk show club can be like Las Vegas. Just like the music performing arts venues in Sri Lanka, they provide residency contracts to a group of well-known actors with box office appeal every year. A year... about [-] or [-] shows? I don’t know, but in this way, the club itself can Get a lot of income, and comedians finally have the safest channel to monetize."

"In the entertainment industry, shouldn't Las Vegas take on such a responsibility? I'm not talking about becoming a nursing home for past artists, but a bank for popular superstars and a breeding ground for new potential talents."

"Imagine a big stand-up theater with [-] seats, top-notch sound equipment and interior decoration, Jim Jeffries, Aziz Ansari, Russell Peters, Chris Tucker and John Mulaney stays here, and big names like Trevor Noah, Kevin Hart, and Ricky Jarvis come here occasionally Special."

"You said, can such a talk show club become a new benchmark for live entertainment in Las Vegas, and can it provide a unique competitive advantage for the reborn Circus Casino Hotel?"

"There is no doubt about it." Dwayne Johnson's echo included polite compliments, and of course sincere approval.Stand-up shows are the next big thing in live entertainment, and Las Vegas just happens to lack a world-class arena dedicated to comedians.

Han Yi chose it as an entry point at this point in time, and his vision was indeed quite unique.

"Searching for the shining point that can gain a foothold in the world's entertainment capital is the primary goal of our early planning." Seeing that the first project resonated with Dashi Johnson, Han Yi immediately took advantage of the victory and pursued, "I want to make a complete Hip-hop nightclubs are also based on such considerations. Yes, Las Vegas is a city with no shortage of nightclubs, but I believe you also know that the mainstream style of nightclubs here is still EDM, and only a few nightclubs will open a special nightclub in the store. A lounge that plays hip-hop music.”

"But we have all seen the rapid rise of hip-hop music. Drake's "Views" has 2.45 million plays in the first week, surpassing any so-called pop music superstar in the history of streaming media platforms. It is no exaggeration to say, Electronic music and hip-hop are the popular music of young people in this era. Either of these two music styles can produce tons of gold, whether online or offline. There is a market, an audience, and consumption power , growth prospects, so why can’t Las Vegas have a nightclub that’s 100% hip-hop?”

"Over [-] feet of dance floors and booths are full of fans of hip-hop music and fans of famous rappers. Electronic music nightclubs have experimented with the most suitable artist structure for us, and we will follow their templates and replace them all with Hip-hop singers will do."

"Five or six newcomers from the XXL freshman class, one or two superstars like Drake who can double the consumption of the night, and two or three groups like Snoop Dogg, who can trigger the legend of a chorus when the prelude is played."

"Sounds like you like Snoop," Dwayne Johnson quipped, "keeps mentioning his name over and over."

"I am the most loyal supporter of Snoop, because he is the CEO of the hip-hop label under Han Music."

"What?" Dwayne Johnson's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why is it like you're seeing this news for the first time?" Kevin Hart spread his hands helplessly and asked, "Didn't you see the congratulatory post on my Instagram? It was just a week ago .”

"I really didn't see it." Dwayne Johnson shook his head.

"You won't put me on the blacklist, will you?"

"I wish I knew how to blacklist you... No, I just don't have the time to be online 24/7."

"People who write posts as papers are ashamed to say this." Kevin Hart muttered, "Well, in short, Yi and Snoop Dogg have reached a cooperation, and he will be in charge of the operation of the hip-hop section. Already signed Migos, and... ah, a lot of newcomers."

"Ok, wow, congratulations, Yi, this is big news."

Dwayne Johnson felt that he said "wow" a lot more than usual today, but in this short conversation of less than half an hour, there were indeed many discoveries worthy of his amazement.

The young man in his twenties in front of him, while partnering with the Carlyle Group to receive a large slate deal of 1.3 million US dollars, he also became the largest institutional shareholder of UTA through Parkway Capital 1.9 million, and joined Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Mad Decent who acquired Diplo...

Now, you tell me he also started a hip-hop label with Snoop Dogg?

This Chinese billionaire... what kind of monster?
How much money is left in his bank account?

"Yes, everyone in Han Music is very excited to invite a partner of Snoop Dogg's level. He is also the foundation for us to firmly believe that we can provide Las Vegas with a first-class hip-hop performance scene."

The vortex rising in Jushi Johnson's heart did not affect Han Yi's smoother expression.

"The same level of trust has also emerged between us and Diplo's team. The Las Vegas festival venue should not be just an empty venue that does less than ten music festival events a year. In UTA, Mad Decent With the help of Hehan Music's growing matrix of electronic musicians, we are fully capable of turning it into a transcendent and landmark outdoor nightclub."

"Every day, different DJs can hold different types of rave parties here. You don't need to increase the consumption too much, twenty or thirty dollars per ticket, and let them spend the same amount on some light-colored ragues...De Wayne, this is a super-large venue that can accommodate more than 5 people, several times larger than the Mirage in Brooklyn. Although the unit price is not high, as long as the venue can be filled with spectators, the Las Vegas Festival The nightly income of the celebration venue will never be lower than that of those luxury nightclubs."

The unique competitive advantages that cannot be copied in a short period of time are reflected in all aspects. A talk show theater above the scale counts as one, a nightclub focusing on hip-hop music counts as one, and an affordable outdoor nightclub with a scale of [-] people counts as one.

Looking at the party music scene in Las Vegas, it can be regarded as outdoor nightclubs, including Wynn's Encore Beach Club, Venetian's Tao Beach and MGM Grand Hotel's Wet Republic, and limited by the size of the venue, this None of the three pool party venues could lower ticket prices and average drink consumption to the extent that Han Yi said.

But the Las Vegas festival venue is different. This is a super venue that covers an area of ​​nearly 8 acres and has a theoretical maximum capacity of [-] people.If Han Yi can really build a permanent party facility in the venue after the overall acquisition is completed, then he can open up a market segment that other groups in the casino can't get their hands on in a short period of time.

Not to mention 8 people, as long as the number of people entering each night can reach one-eighth of this number, that is, 1 people, based on the per capita consumption of tickets + drinks of 50 US dollars, it can also generate 50 US dollars in business every day. income.

A month is 1500 million US dollars, and a year is 1.8 million.

You know, the most profitable XS nightclub has an annual operating income of about 1 million US dollars.

Han Yi doesn't know whether Las Vegas' 3223 million annual global tourists can support the electronic music party of [-] people every night.But if you can... the top spot in the global nightclub industry, I am afraid that you will have to change your surname.

"These plans are amazing, Yi, I have no doubt... I never doubt that you, Kevin, Jordan, and other hardworking partners in the team can turn them into tangible achievements."

The end of Han Yi's last sentence disappeared for two or three minutes, and Dashi Qiangsen, who had been pondering for a long time, spoke slowly.

"I'm also... extremely open to being a part of the plan. However, I don't know how I can help you right now, Yi. I don't have the jokes in Kevin Hart's head, let alone Knows how to operate a CDJ."

"But you're the greatest, most famous wrestler on the planet, bar none."

Seeing that Jushi Johnson had entered his expected thinking path, Han Yi pursed his lips and smiled, and replied softly.

"In Las Vegas, if an entertainment complex wants to truly become a landmark tourist attraction, the blessing of sports events is absolutely indispensable. And what kind of event is most suitable for Sin City in terms of temperament, style, and organization Woolen cloth?"

"Boxing, fighting, wrestling, any confrontational sport that allows the audience to vent their desire for violence."

"Yeah, since it's Sin City, there's absolutely no shortage of these things. People want to feel the thrill of being a winner and a conqueror in every way, killing it at the table, reaching the pinnacle in the suite, boxing. On the sidelines, watch the boxers you support beat the enemy until they are unconscious."

"So...maybe, maybe not, but I want to explore a possibility. That is, to see if it is possible to turn the current adventure park into a sports park. People can participate in sports in person here, and of course watch the world. The most exciting and intense fighting event."

"It would be even better if it could become a permanent WWE venue."

Having said that, Han Yi patted Dashi Johnson's granite-like arm.

"Do you think we can accomplish this feat?"

"I don't know, Yi. I mean, Vince is a..."

Dwayne Johnson's answer came to an abrupt end.

After a few seconds, he gasped.

Smart industry leaders have already understood Han Yi's unspoken subtext.

"Do you want to say..."

"We're living in an age of... all dreamers, Dwayne."

Han Yi used the vocabulary to describe Ruben Keehoon to answer Dashi Johnson's surprised questions.

"Since everyone is dreaming, why can't we make our dreams bigger?"

"We don't need Vince to bring WWE to Las Vegas."

"As long as we dare to dream and act..."

"You, too, can be the next Vince."

(End of this chapter)